Defiance of Fate
by The Abstract Concept
Summary: If Naruto were to go back in time, what would he change? What would the consequences be? Naruhina, Nejitenten, others undecided
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, any of the characters, or anything related to Naruto with the exception of this story.

**Defiance of Fate**

Konohagakure was a peaceful village, despite it being a hidden village. The reason for this peace was Konoha's shinobi. Konoha is famous for the sheer size and power of their shinobi. Because of this many people thought to be almost impossible to conquer Konoha.

And they were wrong.

For now Konoha lay in ruin as shinobi clashed in the street. It was an all out war between Konohagakure and Otogakure. At first it seemed as though the battle was in Konoha's favor, with superior numbers and seasoned shinobi at the ready.

And while this would be true under normal circumstances, this was not a normal situation. Oh no. While Konoha had their shinobi, Oto had an army of ruthless shinobi with curse seals and various "enhancements" to their person.

Thus, Konoha was losing. Badly. But they fought on, not willing to give up and hoping for a miracle.

"Shit!" yelled a young man as he took down another sound shinobi with a kunai to the throat. "They just keep coming!"

As soon as he said that he was attacked from behind by another oto-nin.

As the nin tried a kick to his head the young man dropped down to deliver a sweeping kick to his remaining leg. As the oto-nin was falling the young man brought his fist up in an uppercut to his jaw.

But as he was about to connect, his opponent threw him self back and brought his legs up to his chest and delivered a kick that hit the Konoha shinobi in the chest, sending him flying through a crumbling wall.

As the dust settled the oto-nin saw the young man lying in a heap under some rubble. He smirked and walked forward to finish him off while saying, "He he he. I' am a lucky guy. I get to make you pay for killing Orochimaru-dono." As he said this his smirk grew to a twisted grin. At his words the young man looked up and gave him a foxy grin and said, "Oh really?" and then disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The oto-nin was so surprised that he didn't hear the attack until it was too late. With a cry of "Rasengan!" the oto-nin was carried off by a massive ball of chakra. As he watched his opponet sail away the young man thought,_ "Kage Bunshin, works every time."_ He thought as he said, "Make sure to tell Orochimaru that Uzumaki Naruto says hi when you see him in hell!" while grining his fox grin, his eyes full of dark amusment, and his clothes stained in the blood of his enemys.

Uzumaki Naruto had changed after the events in the Valley of the End six years ago. In time and under Jirayia's tutaledge he'd become one of (if not _the_) most powerful shinobi in the village He'd also mellowed out some, losing the obnoxious and attention grabbing persona he had as a genin. But by no means was he a quiet emotionless person. He wasn't obnoxious, just cheerful. He wasn't loud, just eccentric. And he wasn't hyper, merely energetic. While he had matured a great deal, people often complained about his inmaturity (which he always responded with, "But aren't all men in some way?")

He'd also changed physiclly. He'd gone from being 4'8 to a astounding 6'2. He'd also grown more muscular, losing all his babyfat and becoming well toned. His face went from being a round childs to that of a rugged, handsome young man. He let his spikey blond hair grow to a ponytail that reached his midback, and his sky blue eyes remained the same.

And to the relief of everybody he got rid of his orange jumpsuit, though it was said that people all the way from Suna could hear the following argument between master and apprentice.

His new attire consisted of a black sleeveless muscle shirt with the Uzumaki spiral on the back. His pants were black with red stripes going down the sides of the pants. He had bandages starting at about halfway up the calf and coming down to his ankles where he wore black shinobi style sandales. The pants also had multiple pockets to put scrolls, kunai, shuriken, and what ever else he had. Over his shirt he wore a open jonin flap jacket with a black trentch coat that had the Uzumaki spiral as well, while his forehead protector now had black cloth and was still on his head. He also wore Tsunades's necklace over his shirt.

Everyone was glad for the change, saying now they didn't get a headache if they looked at him for too long (he'd always laugh when told him that and say with a mischievous grin, "You don't say?").

About a year after his return he took the chunin exams and passed with flying colors. Then a year later he managed to make jonin, before everything went to hell.

As Naruto looked at the path of destruction left by the rasengan he was planning his next course of action. _"Should I try and find the others,stay here, or should I try and renfource one of the othe zones?" _In preperation for the attack Konoha was divided into separate zones to defend, with each area having different numbers and ranks depending on the zones location. _"I know obaa-chan said stay in your zone, but I' am the only one left. Besideds, I' m worried about Hinata-chan." _Naruto wasn't sure what to do since Tsunade never said what to do if everyone in a zone was killed.

However a explosion sounded down the street. _"That's Hinata-chans zone."_ He thought with growing fear and dread. He ran as fast as he could to see what was happening.

Hinata was not having a good day. For one she was tired and running low on chakra, and two all her comrades were dead leaving her to fight a powerful opponet she didn't think she could beat.

When her zone was attacked she was with three other chunin named Joukei, Hibiki, and Dengon. They had been ambushed by six oto-nin, six chunin and one jonin, whose initial attack (consisting of multiple kunai with explosive notes) killed Hibiki. After the first attack the chunin ganged up on them 2 to1 while the jonin stayed behind to watch.

Hinata's were overconfident, which led to their downfall since they didn't expect anything from her, until she activated her Byakugan gave a Hakke Kusho to the chest for one and threw a kunai in to the skull of the other after a small struggle.

Just as Naruto had changed so had Hinata. She had changed from a timid little girl into a young woman. After Naruto left Hinata started training to become stronger. She would train with Kurenai, Neji, even Tsunade sometimes and eventually made chunin.

She had greatly grown emotionally and mentally. She was no longer a timid girl who doubted herself. Now she was more confident (though she still couldn't confess to Naruto) and believed in her abilities, but she was still shy around strangers and didn't like being the center of attention. Though she still didn't speak much (and when she did she spoke quietly), when she did she spoke with confidence and clarity.

Another thing that grew was her feelings for Naruto. While he was away if she wasn't training or on a mission she would think about him. Every night she would pray to what ever diety was listening to her to bring Naruto back safely to her. She knew in her heart of hearts that she loved him. She never forgot his words during the chunin exam. Every time she was ready to quit his words would come back and give her the strength she needed. She trained to help herself and so Naruto would notice her. That was her dream, to gain acknoledgement and to have Naruto's love.

Over the years she had grown and was now taller then Sakura, Ino, and Tenten. She had developed a body that men longed for and woman would kill for.

Pale cream colored skin, lavender colored pupil less eyes that men found exotic, long indigo colored hair that ran down her back, with long strips that framed her face and grew down to her breast which were borderline C or D cup, a natural grace, and a kind attitude made her a man's fantasy girl.

Her wardrobe had also changed form her baggy clothes to more form fitting one. She wore a long sleeve dark purple chinese style shirt with white sakura blossoms falling around a white sakura tree. She was wearing black pants that were not to tight or to lose and came down to her ankles with her kunai pouch tied to her right leg with bandages, while she wore black shinobi sandles. She also wore a beige unzipped light windbreaker with the Hyuuga crest on the back.

While Hinata's was quick and easy the others didn't do so well. Dengon was no match for the team work his opponets had. After they incapacitated him with shuriken in his legs, he knew his comrades wouldn't win with 6 to 2. So while his opponets prepared to finish him, he excecuted a final jutsu before the oto-nin could stop him. With his final breath he said, "For Konoha! Shigai Adauchi!" and blew himself up killing not only the two chunin he was fighting, but also one of Joukei's opponents and maiming the second one.

While his opponet was down Joukei finished him with a Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, leaving a charred burning corpse.

But before Joukei could even blink the jonin was in front of him and knocked him in the air with a palm thrust. While he was in the air the jonin smirked and calmly said, "Seitai Bakudan no Jutsu." As he said that Joukei blew up in a large explosion, sending blood and gore everywhere.

The jonin just smirked and looked at Hinata, who was shocked and disgusted at the horrendous display. As he looked at her he calmly said, "A Hyuuga huh? This will be interesting. My name is Bakushinchi. I will be your excecutioner today." And with that he dissapered. Hinata's eyes widened at his display of speed, and wouldn't have dodged his palm thrust if not for her Byakugan.

After jumping to the right she tried to follow up with a Juken strike to his arm to close his tenkutsu, but he manuvered his arm around to try and strike her again as she jerked to the right and jumped back causing his palm to hit a building behind her.

With the Byakugan active she could see that he focused a large amount of chakra into his hand which transferred into the building and dissapated.

"You gather chakra in your hand, and then hit your target releasing the chakra into their body. But why didn't it-" "Explode?" Bakushinchi cutting her off with a smirk. "Because I don't just gather chakra. I've learned how to use my chakra to create a living bomb. I call it Boutou. By focusing my chakra in to my hands I can as you said, release my chakra into the targets body by hitting them. But it only works on humans and other organic material. The reason why is that the human body has several required minerals that I need to make it work." he finised with a grin.

"_So it will only work if he hits me. Since his attacks require a lot of chakra all I have to do is where him down then finish him off." _She thought untill Bakushinchi innteruppted her thoughts. "I know what your thinking. You think that you just have to wear me down and then finish me off when I' am too tired to move." Her eyes widened at this as she thought, _"How did he know…" _He started laughing at the expression on her face. "Ha ha ha ha haaa. I knew because that's what every other opponet I faced thought before I killed them. Do you honestly think I would just tell you my weakness?" He smirked at her. "I know that Hyuuga are close range fighters. You have to get up close in order to hurt me. And when you do I'll just kill you with my Boutou." He finished while a dark gleam came into his eyes.

She stared at him, fear preventing her from coming up with a plan. _"What do I do! He's right, I have to get close enough to use my Juken, but if I do he'll use his Boutou. I can't attack from a distance since I don't know any long range jutsu!" _She looked at him in fear as his grin started to turn malicoius at her expression. As she watched him she realized what he was doing._"He's trying to frighten me into acting irrationally. I need to calm down and think of a plan."_ As she thought this she closed her eyes, and since her Byakugan was still active she could still see in case he tried something._ "I know! I'll go in and let him attack, and when he leaves a opening I'll use Hakke Rokujū Yonshō to seal his tenkutsu and finish him." _Hinata knew this was a risky and even suicidal, but it was all she had.

Bakushinchi watched her in amusement as he could feel her fear. But almost as soon as it came it left to his annoyance. She then closed her eyes and looked as though she were concentrating. "_So she figured out my plan huh?Dosen't matter. She'll still die by my hand." _Almost as if she heard his thoughts she opened her eyes and glared at him with a look of determination.

"Well, you look confident. Let's hope that your confidence is not unfounded." Her response to his barb was to settle back into her stance. "Humph. Have it your way little girl." And with that he charged forward starting his assault anew.

Hinata just stood there, waiting for him to attack.

When he did she was ready. Or so she thought.

She was expecting him to go for a direct thrust, but was shocked when he disappeared and reapeared behind her. He thrusted out his palm faster then she could dodge, knocking her in the air, her expression of complete horror as he said, "Seitai Bakudan no Jutsu," and watched in maniacal glee as the air was filled with blood.

Author Notes:

All right, for those who are curious as to why I reposted, as you should be able to tell I fixed some of my mistakes. Reviews and **_constructive _**criticism are still welcome.

Translations:

Konohagakure: Village Hidden In the Leaves

Otogakure: Village Hidden In the Sound

Shinobi: ninja

Konoha: leaf

Oto: sound

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: Shadow Clone Technique

Rasengan: Spiraling Sphere

Joukei: Sight

Hibiki: Sound

Dengon: Words

Byakugan: White or Evil Eye

Shigai Adauchi: Corpse Retaliation

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu: Fire style: Grand Fireball Technique

Seitai Bakudan no Jutsu: Living Body Bomb

Bakushinchi: Center of the Explosion

Boutou: Boom

Hakke Rokujū Yonshō: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, all of western civilization would crumble.

**Chapter 2**

As Naruto rushed down the street he began to worry, which quickly turned to panic as he heard another explosion.

"_Please be okay Hinata-chan. I can't lose you too." _As he thought this he flashed back to when he had defeated Orochimaru.

**Flashback**

_It had been four days since Naruto had returned from Oto. Since then he refused to leave his apartment for any reason. _

_It was just too painful for him. All the things he had seen and done had taken a terrible toll on his mind._

_Due to the Kyuubi all his physical wounds had long since healed._

_But his mental anguish was stronger than any wound, even the Chidori through his chest. All he could see and hear was the battle; hear the words that caused him pain like he never felt._

"_It looks like you failed to save him again Naruto-kun."_

"_I' am sorry Naruto, but I have too. I love him."_

"_You're a fool Naruto. You're nothing but a failure and a loser. Let me kill you now so I can have true power."_

_As the voices and images ran rampant through his head, all he could think was, "Why? Why did they betray me? Why? Am I really a monster? Am I not meant for happiness?"_

_Naruto was going insane, and he knew it. But he just didn't find it in him to care. "If it's true, then nobody would care. I should just stay here and rot."_

_His morbid musings were cut short when he heard a knock on his door. Normally he would just ignore who ever it was until they went away. So he waited for who ever it was to leave._

_After about ten minutes of knocking Naruto had had it and was going to yell at them to go away. When he opened his door however, the words died in his throat._

_Standing at his door was Hinata. He was surprised, but quickly got over it. "What are you doing here Hinata?" Naruto asked with a monotone which worried Hinata even more._

"_I came to see how you were doing Naruto-kun." He just looked at her for a few seconds, making her feel uncomfortable and a little afraid of the empty look in his eyes._

"_I' am fine." He said, which contradicted with his current state. He looked like he hadn't eaten since he got back. His skin was pale and sickly. He had large bags under his eyes that showed lack of sleep. He was wearing the same cloths he wore when he left and looked (and smelled) like he hadn't bathed since he got back._

_But the most notable change was his eyes. Gone was the bright blue that reminded Hinata of the sky. Gone was the look of someone who wanted everyone to be happy._

_Instead his eyes darker and looked as though he was devoid of a soul. This frightened Hinata. He shouldn't look that way. He should be happy, laughing, and making others laugh._

"_No your not okay Nauto-kun." She said with a concerned tone. She was here to help him. And she wasn't going to let anyone, not even Naruto himself, stop her._

_Naruto just looked at her and replied, "I'm fine. You don't need too trouble yourself with me. Please leave." As he said that he tried closed to close the door but she stuck her foot in to stop him._

_This started to anger him. "Hinata, please leave now." He said through clenched teeth. Hinata was frightened. She had never seen Naruto this angry, and never thought he would direct it at her. But still she proceeded, determined to help him. _

"_No Naruto-kun. I' am not leaving until you let me help you." This shocked Naruto. "Why does she want to help me? After what I did, how could she still want to help me?"_

_While he was thinking Hinata had pushed her way into his house. When she looked around she could see the disarray that neglect had caused. Sp she started picking things up and putting them where they were supposed to go._

_Naruto's thoughts were cut short when he noticed Hinata was no longer there and he could hear noise in his living room._

_When he turned around to look he saw Hinata cleaning. This greatly confused him. "Hinata, what are you doing?" He asked with confusion and partial shock that she'd help him._

_But either she ignored or didn't hear him because she didn't answer. So Naruto walked up to her and grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. "Why are you doing this Hinata?"_

"_BecauseI want to help you Naruto-kun." She stated, her eyes showing concern and something else. Something Naruto couldn't identify._

"_Why? Why help me? I'm a monster. You heard what I did. How can you still want to help me! I' m a monster" He started off quietly with sadness but finished loudly with anger._

_How ever Hinata stood her ground. She wasn't going to abandon him. "You're not a monster Naruto-kun. You did what you had to do. No one can blame you for that."_

_Naruto was shocked. He could hardly believe what he had just heard. "She wants to help me?" _

_He wasn't sure if he should believe her or not. However one look into her lavender eyes told him all he needed to know. In her eyes he could see no deceit. She really did care about him._

_As soon as he realized this he started to break down._

_When Hinata saw him starting to cry, she felt like someone had stuck a kunai in her heart. "Oh Naruto-kun…" She thought as her own tears threatened to spill._

_To comfort him she reached out for his arm, but as soon as she touched him he jumped forward and wrapped his arms around her neck, then buried his head in the crook of her neck and cried._

_This greatly shocked Hinata. But as his sobs continued she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder and whispered soothing words to him. "It's okay Naruto-kun. Just let it all out. I'm here for you."_

_She moved him to the couch so they could sit. They continued on like this for a while till Naruto started to calm down. When he stopped crying he looked at her with red eyes and asked, "Why?" Hinata looked at him not understanding. "What do you mean Naruto-kun?"_

"_How can you still want to help me?" He asked as the words came out chocked. Hinata looked surprised for a minute, but then she smiled a small gentle smile that made Naruto feel a little better just by looking at it._

"_Because you are an important person to me Naruto-kun. You always have been." Naruto looked at her the shock clearly written on his face. Hinata just smiled and continued._

"_You're always a source of inspiration and courage to me. When ever I saw you, heard your voice, or even thought about you I felt that I could do anything. You always say that I' am one of your precious people. Well, you're my most precious person Naruto-kun. I'll always believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself. And I will always stand by you, even when no one else will." She finished with tears in her eyes. _

_Naruto was speechless. He never thought that there was anyone who would do that for him. Suddenly Naruto felt happy. Happier than he had felt in years._

_Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled a true smile. "Thank you Hinata-chan."_

_Hinata blushed lightly at him calling her chan, but smiled and said, "Your welcome Naruto-kun."_

_Just then a loud rumbling could be heard from Naruto's stomach, killing the mood. He looked at his stomach, then at her and smiled sheepishly before saying, "Uh…You hungry?"_

_Hinata couldn't help but laugh. She was happy that the old Naruto was back._

"_Sure Naruto-kun." They smiled at each other, both happy and thinking that things would go back to normal._

**End Flashback**

His reminiscing was short lived however as another explosion went off, spurring him forward.

As he arrived at the source he could see two people, a man and a woman. The man was wearing typical shinobi gear with a Oto headband on his left bicep. The woman he recognized quickly as Hinata.

Hinata was in her Juken stance as the man charged forward to deliver a palm thrust, but disappeared and reappeared behind her and struck her in the back. She had a look of absolute terror as he said, "Seitai Bakudan no Jutsu!" And Naruto watched in horror as Hinata exploded, filling the air with blood and gore.

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Bakushinchi watched his kill with glee until he heard someone yell "HINATA-CHAN!"

When he looked he saw a young man with blond hair, blue eyes, and what looked like whisker marks holding his hand out to where the girl was with a look of disbelief and shock.

Bakushinchi recognized him. _"That's Uzumaki Naruto?" _He then grinned his psychotic grin and said, _"_So you're that Uzumaki guy I've heard so much about." His smile diminished slightly as Naruto didn't even react. But his smile grew even wider and demented as he realized why.

"So you knew that little girl?" His response was Naruto lowering his hand and head. He than knew he struck a cord. If it was at all possible his grin grew in both ways. "That little bitch didn't stand a chance. That look on her face was priceless. But don't worry, you'll be seeing her soon enough."

With that he started to charge until he saw Naruto let loose an ungodly amount of chakra and so much killing intent it would kill anyone lower than a jonin. The chakra was blood red and pouring out at rates that even a kage would have a hard time matching. Soon the chakra started to bubble around him, making a silhouette of a kitsune with four tails swinging behind him. As this was happening, a giant kitsune head appeared above him. The head was malicious looking, and seemed to radiate its own killing intent. Soon it let out a roar and dissipated.

Bakushinchi was afraid. Scratch that, he was terrified beyond rational thought. He watched as the chakra tore the street, lifting pieces into the air before they broke. _"This power isn't human! Kabuto-sama was right…he is a demon!"_

"**You…"** Bakushinchi's blood froze at the sound of the voice. It was low, animalistic, and filled with power and malice beyond what he thought was possible. He watched as Naruto slowly raised his head. When he saw his face he felt his heart stop. His teeth had grown into fangs that stuck out his mouth, making it impossible to close. His whisker marks had grown thicker and darker till they looked like the shadows of real ones. His hair had grown even more wild and untamed.

But the biggest change was his eyes. The sky blue had been replaced by a bloody crimson and instead of pupils he had slits. He saw that there were tear strands going down his face. His eyes also held many powerful emotions. He could see Hate, pain, and most off all sorrow.

"**I'm going to make you experience pain you can't even begin to imagine." **With that he raised his hand which Bakushinchi noticed had become claws, and charged forward to fulfill his promise.

Bakushinchi didn't even get a final word before Naruto killed him. As soon as he charged he disappeared then reappeared in front of him. Before he could blink Naruto had grabbed him by his head, his nails digging in under his flesh as he screamed.

"**Hell will feel like paradise after this." **As soon as the words left his mouth crimson chakra shot into Bakushinchi and exploded outward in a inferno of power, burning Bakushinchi from the inside out and causing pain he never knew was possible.

Naruto watched as he was burned alive by the demonic chakra. When he was finished there was nothing left but ash and his echoing screams of pain. The chakra dissipated, its duty done and leaving behind a broken soul.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto sobbed her name. She was gone. The last person he had was gone forever. Naruto felt a piece of himself die. Then he heard a soft voice filled with concern and a little fear say,

"Naruto-kun?"

Authors notes: Cliffhanger. I promise I'll update sooner. Please R&R:


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 3**

When Naruto heard the voice, he felt his heart swell. _"She's alive! Hinata-chans alive!" _He quickly whipped around to see her, and what he saw caused his heart to stop.

Hinata looked as if hse had a foot in the grave. She was standing shakily, her clothes torn, singed, and covered in her own blood. Most of her skinned was red and bleeding and she had blood coming out her mouth.

But the worst injury was with her left arm. Or where it should have been. But it was missing and bleeding profusely as Hinata tried to stop it by covering it with her other hand.

But what caught his attention was her face. It had a gash that went from her forehead down her left cheek. But it was her expression that he was looking at. Her eyes were half closed and cloudy but she had a look of relief and happiness and she had a small smile.

"Naruto-kun…" she said quietly as she began to collapse. Before she hit the ground thiugh Naruto had caught her and gently laid her down. He looked at her, tears staining his face as he saw her condition. "Hinata-chan…" he whispered his voice full of anguish.

She looked at him and smiled slightly, reaching up shakily to touch his cheek. Before she could though she coughed violently and hacking up blood. Before her hand fell he grabbed it and squeezed reassuringly.

"How did you survive?" Naruto asked. She looked at him with a little bit of surprise but slowly smiled and lowered her head and said, "I used Kawarimi to replace myself with one of the oto chunin and used a henge. But I didn't get away from the blast quick enough." With that she started coughing.

When she was done she looked at him and said with a shaky voice, "I'm glad… your okay… Naruto-kun." He looked at her and tried to smile. "It takes more than that to kill me Hinata-chan."

She looked at him her eyes holding a small amount of amusement. "I know… I was just worried about you." When she finished she started coughing and hacking up more blood. This frightened Naruto. "Hianta-chan, please don't say any more. You need to save your strength." But she just smiled lightly and shook her head.

"I' am not going to make it Naruto-kun. It's the end for me." This shook Naruto to his core. "Don't say that. You'll be fine. You will be. Then everything will be back to normal." He tried to reassure himself more than her as he felt his heart breaking.

"Naruto-kun I'm sorry." He looked at her, not comprehending what she was saying. "Sorry? Hinata-chan I should be the one who's sorry. If I had gotten here sooner-" he started before she cutting him off.

"NO!" She almost yelled, surprising Naruto and causing her to wince. "It's not your fault Naruto-kun." She said quietly. "I wasn't strong enough. I was too weak to-"

"Don't say that." Naruto said quietly, surprising Hinata with the sheer amount of emotion he spoke with. "You are strong Hinata-chan. Your one of the strongest and bravest people I know. That's why you can't leave." he said, his eyes full of tears and unable to bring himself to say die.

She looked at him shocked, and then smiled with her eyes full of happiness and something Naruto didn't recognized. "Aishiteru Naruto-kun." His eyes widened, not believing what he was hearing.

"What?"

"I've loved you for a long time, ever since we were in the academy." He continued to stare at her, his mind going through all his memories of her, everything starting to make sense. All her blushing and stuttering, why she would faint if he got close to her. Even her seemingly random acts of kindness to him. She did love him.

As this realization hit him, he started to cry anew. She had loved him for years and he never noticed. He had the one thing he had always wanted right in front of him. He was just too stupid to notice. And now he was losing her.

When she saw him cry she pulled her hand out of his and gently stroked his cheek, causing him to look at her in shock.

She just smiled. "I wanted to tell you, before I die." At this he was livid. His tears still falling he said, "NO! You can't die! Please, we can be together. We can be happy, start a family, whatever you want. Just don't leave me." He finished breaking down completely.

As he cried he felt her hand reach up behind his head and entangle itself in his hair, trying to push him down. He looked at her and could see what she wanted.

He leaned down till his lips were on hers. Her lips were soft and the kiss was gentle, though she seemed to put all her love and passion into it. It was the most amazing thing he had ever felt. Nothing else mattered, just them.

But as soon as it began it was done. He pulled away when he felt her lips give out and grabbed her hand again. He looked into her unnaturally pale but beautiful eyes and could see her love for him. She smiled once more, her final words being, "Aishiteru… itsumademo… Naruto-kun…" and she closed her eyes for the last time as her hand went limp, her face forever fixed in a smile of content.

As she departed this world Naruto held her body in his arms as he threw his head back and let loose a cry of anguish and pain that could be heard for miles as his soul shattered.

When he finished he held her close and cried till he could make no more tears.

After what seemed a eternity he heard footsteps behind him. They stopped a few feet behind him as a gruff voice said, "Was it you that did this?" Naruto didn't respond.

The voice spoke again this time with arrogance. "Couldn't have been. You leaf shinobi are too weak." At this Naruto raised his head a little. "It must have been one of those guys with a seal." Naruto started to get up, slowly putting Hinata's body down. "After all the hokage was easy to beat." Naruto stood up straight. "She took down a few of our men, but we eventually over powered her." Naruto slowly turned around his head still bowed. "I even completed my objective with no difficulty." Naruto just stood facing him, the oto-nin mistaking it for submission.

"So your giving up? You're a smart guy. Since I'm in a good mood I'll kill you nice and quick." With that he drew a kunai and charged Naruto. But before he struck Naruto grabbed his wrist, and with a hard snap broke his arm clean in two, forcing the bone out of his flesh.

Before he could finish his cry of pain Naruto shoved the sharp bone forward into the nins forehead. When he heard a gurgling sound Naruto let go of him as he heard a loud thud behind the nin as he watched him fall to the ground with dead eyes.

"_If what he said is true then baa-chan is dead and Konoha has fallen."_ Yet Naruto couldn't find it in him to care. He was about to turn away until he saw what the thing that made the noise was.

When he saw it his eyes widened slightly. It was something he recognized clearly. The very thing that had changed his life forever.

The scroll of forbidden seals.

He then remembered the oto-nins words. _"So that was his objective, to steal the scroll." _Naruto looked at it for a few moments, before coming to a decision. _"Konoha's beyond hope. I can't stop all of Oto by myself. I'll destroy the scroll. It's not much, but it'll still piss of Kabuto."_

As Naruto touched it, it opened up. Naruto was going to use a Katon jutsu to burn it, but then something on the scroll caught his eye. Although he knew it couldn't help him, he got a feeling that he should look.

So he did. And what he saw left him shocked, skeptical, and with a small glimmer of hope building in his chest.

"_Jikoku Koutai no Jutsu?" _He read the description. _Jikoku Koutai is a ninjutsu that allows the user to bend back the very fabric of time itself using his/her chakra. By doing this the individual could travel back in time and merge with their past self, retaining all knowledge, memories, and abilities from the future. This jutsu was created long before the formation of the hidden villages by a man who had lost his family. He wanted to find away to save them without using a resurrection jutsu. So he researched and studied time, in the hopes of finding away to the past. After countless years of research he was able to make this jutsu. But when he tried to use it he was killed from chakra depletion. All who tried after him would suffer the same fate until it was sealed in this scroll. The reasons for its sealing is obvious, it is a dangerous jutsu that could cause untold suffering should it fall in the wrong hands. The hand seals are…_

Naruto couldn't believe his luck. Here it was a chance to stop all this from happening. Konoha wouldn't be destroyed and Hinata would be alive. _"Hinata-chan…" _He looked at her prone figure. _"I'll stop this. Then you and I can be together." _That last thought brought a tear to his eye and a smile to his face.

As he was about to begin the hand seals he felt a slight dizzying sensation. When it passed he was no longer in Konoha. No, he was in a place he recognized well even though he'd only been here a couple of times.

It was a long dimly lit hallway with corridors and doors as far as the eye could see on either side. There were pipes along the ceiling, blue ones with thick red ones intertwined. He was also standing in ankle deep water.

He could feel a presence down the hall, and started walking towards it. When he arrived he could see two crimson doors decorated with kanjis that Naruto couldn't understand. He pushed open the doors and entered. Before him stood two massive gates held by a piece of paper that said gokuin.

As he looked at the bars he called out in a demanding voice, "What do you want Kyuubi?"

In response a low, animalistic chuckling could be heard. The voice sounded ancient and powerful with a malicious undertone.

"**What do I want?"**

As soon as he said that a pair of crimson eyes started glowing and stared at him with killing intent that would have killed any normal person.

"**Why I want what you want." **

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, suspicious of the great kitsune. Over the years they reached a mutual amount of respect, but still weren't that close and never would be. So naturally Naruto was suspicious of his intentions.

"**Why I want to help you with your jutsu. After all you will need my chakra to use it."**

"Yeah, but what's to stop me from using it anyway?" **"Why me of course. It is my chakra. Why should I let you use it? This jutsu could get you killed. And why should I risk my life for what you want?"**

"You bastard! You will give me your chakra! I will go back. And I will save Hinata-chan." He said as he glared at the Kyuubi with all the anger and hate he could muster.

"**_Not bad for a human." _"Oh really? I don't have to do anything." **He could see Naruto's killing intent rising.

"**_Very impressive." _However I could lend you the right amount."**

Naruto was no fool. He knew Kyuubi well enough to tell if he wanted something.

"And what do you want in return?" Naruto asked cautiously. The Kyuubi grinned, showing all his monstrous teeth.

"**Down to business eh? Alright, in exchange for the chakra I want to change a few things."**

"What things?"

"**Don't worry; even if I wanted to I couldn't mess with the seal. All I want is a little more freedom."**

Naruto was about to say no when Kyuubi interrupted him. **"I don't mean complete freedom. Just to be able to experience the world. By making a permanent piece of your mind mine, I will be able to do that through you. What ever you see I see, you hear I hear, etcetera."**

"That's it?" Naruto asked, still a little skeptical.

"**That's it."**

"Give me your word that that is it and I'll agree."

Kyuubi's grin grew wider as he said, **"Very clever. Alright, I swear on my honor as a kitsune that I will do just as I said and nothing more."**

Naruto smirked slightly and said, "Then we have a deal."

"**Then you'll need this."**

Kyuubi started sending his chakra to Naruto under the gate. When he was enveloped he was ejected from his mindscape to the real world where to his amazement he saw that he was already in his kitsune form with five tails.

He quickly got over his shock and started performing the necessary seals. When he was about to finish he looked at Hinata's body once more before thinking, _"Don't worry Hinata-chan. I'll keep my promise."_

With a smile he finished the sequence as he yelled as loud as he could "Jikoku Koutai no Jutsu!"

He saw everything freeze for a moment, and then his chakra flared and everything turned white.

Authors Notes: Alright, third chapter. Hope you like it. R&R

Translations:

Aishiteru: I love you

Itsumademo: Forever

Jikoku Koutai no Jutsu: Time Alteration Technique

Gokuin: Seal

Kyuubi: Nine-tails

Kitsune: Fox


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Need it be said?

**Chapter 4**

Naruto felt a powerful feeling of vertigo as the world began to dissipate before him. He watched in fascination and fear as the white began to recede and turn to black. The last thing he remembered before the darkness consumed him was Hinata's departing words.

When Naruto started to regain consciousness he felt a slight stinging in his skull. As he opened his eyes he was greeted to the sight the moon over of a canopy of trees surrounding him. He looked behind him he saw a small shack falling into disarray.

He jumped up and grabbed a kunai from his holster. As he looked around some more he noticed something.

The trees were taller than he remembered.

"_What the hell is going on? Why are the trees so tall?" _He looked down too see if he was standing in a hole or something and gasped at what he saw.

He was short. Very short. And he was wearing the exact same outfit he wore when he was twelve, the orange and blue jumpsuit with blue shinobi sandals. He reached up to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things and felt something bulky on his forehead. Upon further inspection it turned out to be his goggles he got when he was ten.

This left Naruto terribly confused and he started turning around hoping to find an answer.

As he looked around he was struck by deja-vu _"This looks familiar…"_ Naruto thought before tripping over something and falling on his butt. He looked at the perpetrating object and saw it to be the Forbidden scroll.

As he looked at it he remembered the jutsu. Then it hit him. _"I know why this looks familiar! This is when Mizuki-teme tricked me into stealing the forbidden scroll!"_

When the realization struck Naruto felt shocked. Then slowly it was being replaced by happiness like he'd never felt before as he realized it had worked.

"_It worked! I'm twelve again!"_ He was about to shout for joy at the top of his lungs when he felt a tugging sensation in his mind. Realizing the fox wanted to talk he relaxed his mind into a state of meditation.

He soon found himself in his mindscape. But it was different than before. It seemed to be growing dimmer and the water was gone. When he looked up he could see that there were more pipes then he remembered.

A little surprised and unnerved at what he saw, Naruto went in search of Kyuubi to ask what was happening.

When he reached the fox's area he was shocked to see the bars wide open and the Kyuubi missing. Before he could move he felt something behind him and turned around praying to what ever god was listening that it wasn't what he thought it was.

Apparently no one was paying attention to him. For behind him was the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune in all its demonic glory.

Naruto looked at it with a mix of horror and shock

He then weakly grinned and stammered, "Hey Kyuubi. H-how did you get out?"

Kyuubi flashed a grin that showed his large and sharp teeth and replied with amusement, "**Relax Naruto**. **As amusing as it is to see you afraid, I'm not going to harm you."**

At this Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and laughed nervously. "That's good." He then remembered why he was here.

"Hey Kyuubi?" Kyuubi gave him a questioning look. "What do you want to talk about? Why's everything changing?How did you get out?" Naruto was about to ask more questions before Kyuubi started laughing. He looked at the great demon with a look of confusion and mild annoyance.

At his look Kyuubi laughed harder. When he stopped he grinned at Naruto again before saying, **"Forgetful are we? Remember our deal?" **Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered. **"Seems you do now. Well that's what I want to talk about, everythings changing because we're fusing, and I'm out for the same reason."**

"Okay… that does make sense." Just then he winced as the pain in his head increased as everything started fading more. Kyuubi grinned when Naruto looked at him. **"Seems like its starting."**

"What is?" Naruto asked as another sharp pain tore through his head.

"**The fusing. I would advise going into the shack and applying a silence jutsu."** At Naruto's questioning glance he replied with an ever present grin, **"This is going to hurt."**

Before he could reply Naruto was ejected from his mind scape by another pain. When he opened his eyes he immediately ran to the shack and practically tore the door off. He hastily made the required symbols, focused chakra in his right hand, and with a painful whisper said, "Hia Tonda Ashi." As he slamed his hand into the wall and watched as a kanji for silence appeared then disappeared with a flash.

The moment it disappeared the pain in his head increased ten-fold and he fell to the ground yelling as his body was assaulted by pain he never new existed.

Finally after what seemed hours the pain began to recede into a dull throb. When he could move Naruto got up and looked at a broken window. What he saw left him speechless.

Staring back at him was an older looking and more feral version of himself. He was a couple inches taller and had more muscle mass than earlier, so much his cloths were tight on him. His nails were longer and sharper and his teeth resembled fangs. His hair was longer and spikier, going down to his collar. His whisker marks were larger and darker. His eyes were still blue but with a purple hue around the edges and he had a vertical slit instead of a normal round pupil.

Naruto was shocked speechless. While trying to register what he saw he heard an amused chuckle. He looked around to see who was there when he heard a voice say, **_"It's all in your head."_**

"Kyuubi?"Naruto asked hesitantly. The voiced laughed again. _**"Yes, it's me." **"How…?"_

"_**This is part of the deal. Since I now have a corner of your mind to inhabit I can speak to you telepathically."**_

"_Oh, okay. So why do I look this way?" _He could picture Kyuubi grinning as he replied. **_"You look this way because of the fusion, and because of the jutsu."_**

"_What do you mean because of the jutsu?" _He asked hesitantly, afraid of a unknown side affect.**_ "What I mean is that your body had to adjust to all the power that was transferred, and the only way to do it was to age it about two years. Plus you also absorbed some of my essence."_**

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Then stopped as something occurred. _"Wait a minute. How am I going to explain this!"_

"_**Explain what?"**_

"_The changes you idiot! How am I going to explain that I aged two years in a matter of hours and why I look like a fucking monster!" _He screamed in his head.

Kyuubi was silent a few moments before saying, **_"Why not just tell them you absorbed a bit of my essence while reading the scroll?"_**

"_You think it will work?" _Naruto asked dubiously.

"_**You could always tell them your from the future on your way to the happy farm."**_

"_Point taken."_

"_**Good. Well it seems we have a few hours before were caught. Why not learn a few new jutsu to pass the time?"**_

Naruto gave a wide grin. _"Yes, lets."_

And with that Naruto went back outside and picked up the scroll and began to read.

Iruka jumped form tree to tree franticly looking for Naruto. It had been a couple hours since he stole the scroll and the Hokage summoned all the chunin and jonin to look for him. He was more worried than anything since he knew that almost all the other shinobi looking for him would probably kill him if they found him first. _"Please be okay Naruto."_

As he continued on he felt a strange feeling in the air. Curious he started going where he felt the feeling to be strongest. The closer he got the fewer trees there were. _"That's odd…what happened to the trees? It looks like they vanished."_

After a little while Iruka could see a clearing with a small shack and what looked like a small orange figure in the middle. _"Naruto! He's okay! Wait till I get my hands on him!" _Iruka thought as his relief turned to anger. When he jumped down he saw that the figure looked kind of like Naruto, only bigger, taller, and with long shaggy hair.

"Naruto…?" Iruka asked uncertainly. His response was for the figure to slowly turn around. When he saw him Iruka's jaw dropped in disbelief. The figure grinned like Naruto only with a more feral look. "Hey Iruka sensei. Looks like you caught me. I manged to learn a few jutsu from the scroll. Do I pass now?"

Before Iruka could even think of a reply he heard the sounds of multiple shuriken flying towards them.

It had been a few hours since Naruto started reading the scroll. In that time he'd learned a few new jutsu which he'd been testing. He stopped when he sensed a chakra signature closing in. Realizing who it was Naruto quickly turned around as he felt a rush of excitement and happiness.

"_Iruka-sensei coming! That means he's alive!" _Naruto thought as he tried to hold back tears of joy since Iruka had died in the future during an ambush by Oto-nins while on a misson to Sunagakure. Iruka's death had hit him hard since Iruka was like the father he never had. He had been depressed for days until Hinata helped him over come it.

Before he could continue his train of thought he heard Iruka land behind him and say his name uncertainly. At the sound of his voice Naruto had to resist the over whelming urge to tackle him to the ground and hug him. Instead he turned around slowly and looked at him.

On the outside he grinned at the look of shock on his face while on the inside he was nervous at how he was going to explain his new look.

Naruto decided to say what he said last time and act like nothing was different for now. Before Iruka could reply though, he heard a volley of shuriken racing towards them. Both Iruka and Naruto jumped in different directions as the shuriken hit the side of the shack.

They both looked up where the shuriken originated from and saw Mizuki perched atop a branch in full shinobi battle gear, with four Fuma shuriken strapped to his back. He gave a malicious grin and said, "Naruto, give me the scroll."

"No Naruto, don't give him the scroll!" Iruka shouted at hum. Mizuki looked at Naruto and his eyes widened in surprise at what he saw, but then he grinned again and said, "Starting to like the demon you really are huh?"

At his words Naruto's eyes narrowed. Mizuki just grinned and said, "Heh, I always new you were a demon."

"Shut up Mizuki!" Iruka yelled. Mizuki looked at Naruto and his grin turned predatory. "Tell me Naruto do you know why everybody hates you?"

"Because I'm the container for the Kyuubi." Naruto said calmly as both Iruka and Mizuki openly gaped at him. Naruto just smirked at Mizuki. "Did I ruin your fun? Too bad. Your not getting the scroll. I'll make sure of it." When he finished Mizuki had a look of rage as he grabbed one of the Fuma's on his back and through it at Naruto who just disappeared.

Mizuki and Iruka's eyes widened at his display of speed. _"Where did it/he go?" _They thought simultaneously. "Right behind you," Came Naruto's voice as he gave a spinning kick to Mizuki's head and sent his falling head first towards the ground.

When he landed he stood up shakily and saw Naruto a couple of feet away. Naruto gave a slightly malicious grin as he made hand seals faster then either of the chunin could keep up with.

When he finished he yelled, "Kusari no Oubou!" And chains of chakra shot from the ground and wrapped around Mizuki's arms, legs, and torso and dorced him to his knees. Mizuki struggled in vain to escape but the chains where to heavy.

"Like it? It's a new jutsu I learned." Naruto said with a smirk as Mizuki looked at him in shock. "You should consider yourself lucky. You get to see another new jutsu I learned." And with that Naruto started gathering chakra in to the palm of his right hand. As it concentrated it took a sphere shape and started changing color.

When it was done it was hovering about half an inch off his palm and was black. It was so black it looked as though it was absorbing all the light that touched it. Mizuki and Iruka looked at it in shock as Naruto grinned. He then started running towards Mizuki who was struggling in vain to escape.

Right before He reached him Naruto cried, "Houmon no sano Garangou!" And thrust the ball of energy into Mizuki's chest. Mizuki screamed as the ball slowly disappeared inside his chest. Once it was completely gone his cries of pain increased as he seemed to start disintegrate.

Iruka looked on in horror and fascination as Mizuki disappeared leaving only his cries of pain in the wind. He looked at Naruto who grinned sheepishly and started rubbing the back of his head. "I think I over did it a bit."

It was at this time that a squad of ANBU and the Hokage himself appeared and surrounded Naruto and Iruka.

Authors Notes: Hey, sorry for the delay. Anyway hope you like it. R&R.

Translations:

Hia Tonda Ashi: Hear No Evil

Kusari no Oubou: Chains of Oppression

Houmon no sano Garangou: Call of the Void


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it.

**Chapter 5**

The sun rose, signifying the start of a new day in the village of Konoha. As the sun's rays cast off the shroud of night people could be seen moving about as merchants, peddlers, shinobi, etc., were all going about their morning rituals as they have done countless times before.

The day started off as normal as any day could have. But today was not normal. Today was a day that had the shinobi population waiting and watching in anticipation. For today was the day that new genin teams were created. Today was the day the future of Konoha was assembled.

That however still had a few hours till initiation, as most of the new genin (and their sensei's) were still asleep.

But there was one who was awake. One genin who awoke at this ungodly hour to a chorus of beeps, barks, and a mysterious thumping noise and the spectacle of shrapnel that used to be his alarm clock flying through the air from where his fist had struck said device.

"_Why am I up?" _Naruto mentally asked himself while trying to go back to sleep. _"The team announcements aren't for another hour."_

"_**Yes, but there are things we have to do first."**_

"_Oh yeah." _Naruto thought groggily. _"Can I at least have fifteen more minutes?"_

Kyuubi's response was a sharp pain in Naruto's head that elected a small cry of pain from said blonde.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Naruto shouted as he grasped his head. When the pain receded he got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he was done he looked through his wardrobe with a frown when he remembered none of the orange jumpsuits fit anymore.

"_Damn it all." _He thought with a grumble. _"Now I have to get new clothes."_

Naruto, who was just thrilled at the prospect of clothes shopping, just added it to his list of things to do.

After he got one of his suits on, Naruto ate some breakfast (three cups of instant ramen) and grabbed his wallet as he headed out the door.

"_I should get some new clothes first." _

So Naruto made his way down the streets of Konoha in search of a clothing store that was open.

After trying four different shops Naruto finally found one that was open. It was a small shop that looked relatively new. When Naruto entered the store he heard a friendly voice say, "Kangei!"

When Naruto looked at the source of the voice he saw a rather plain looking man. He looked to be in his mid-thirty's with average height and build. He had brown hair and brown eyes and a plain complexion. The only noticeable thing was that he was using a crutch to stand and was missing his left leg from the knee down.

This caused Naruto to have flashbacks of Hinata just before he left, a barrage of memories of her death played through his mind._ "No!" _Naruto mentally screamed as he struggled to keep his emotions under control.

When he'd gotten a good grasp on his emotions he noticed that the man was right in front of him and looking down at him a worried look. "You okay kid?" He asked with a little concern in his voice.

"_Damn it." _Naruto cursed as he put on a fake smile and said, "I'm okay. Just have a small headache."

The man looked at him a little while longer before laughing. "Yeah, I get those morning headaches myself sometimes." The man smiled. "My name is Fujo. How may I assist you?"

When Naruto looked around he saw that Fugo also sold various ninja equipment, kunai, shuriken, scrolls, etc.

"_Good. I can get this all done at once. Hopefully." _

Naruto smiled again at Fugo and said, "I was looking to buy some new clothes. As you can see these are a bit too tight."

Fugo gave him a look over and said, "True. Anything in particular?" He asked with a curious tone.

"Not really. I was just going to look around till something caught my eye."

"Okay then. Let me know if you need any help." With that Fugo hobbled into a back room.

"_Okay, let's get this over with." _So Naruto spent about thirty minutes looking for new clothes. In the end he'd chosen an out fit similar to what he wore in the future. Only the coat didn't have sleeves and the pants had orange instead of red stripes.

When he was done he went up to the counter a called out for Fugo. When he came out and saw Naruto he gave smiled and said, "Whoa, who are you and where'd that kid go?"

After they shared a laugh he asked Naruto if he needed anything else. "Yes actually, I need a new set of kunai shuriken, explosive tags, and some blank scrolls."

Fugo nodded and smiled. "I can help you there. Is that all?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a while, before grinning. "Now that I think about it…"

Ten minutes later Naruto was leaving Fugo's store, his hands full of bags of clothes and equipment. After dropping off his extra stuff at his apartment Naruto saw he still had an hour to kill. So he just sat down to run over his plans.

"_Alright. So in order to change the future for the better, I'm going to need to stop Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. I should worry about Orochimaru first since he's the weaker of the two and he makes the first move." _Naruto thought with a bit of anger at the thought of the snake sanin.

"**_You're going to need to stop the Uchiha from defecting. If you canyou should try and stop or at least reduce the number of casualties from the invasion during the chunin exam."_** Kyuubi said with a slightly bored tone.

"_I was thinking that. But do you think I can save Sasuke? Or is he so far off the deep end that I can't help him?" _Naruto thought with a bit of concern.

"**_He was always unstable. But the seal was the deciding factor. If you can prevent him from getting it and help him grow stronger I think he will stay."_**

"_Okay, what about the second thing?"_

"_**As for that you should try and warn the old man about it. Also if you can get the pervert and the lush to return that would help."**_

Naruto snorted at Kyuubi's descriptions of Jiraiya and Tsunade.

"_That sounds good. I might have a way to do that." _Suddenly Naruto turned sullen. _"What about…"_

"**_What about what?" _**Kyuubi asked, both curious and slightly frustrated.

"_What about Hinata-chan?" _

"_**What about her?"**_

"_What do I do? What do I say? I mean, in the past I barely acknowledged her until the chunin exams. How am I suppose to explain my sudden interest in her?"_

Kyuubi didn't respond for a while which began to really worry Naruto. Before he could ask what's wrong Kyuubi spoke.

"**_I think you should say that as a side affect of the changes you sort of went through a life flashing before your eyes deal."_**

"_Side affect of my changes?" _Naruto replied in a sarcastic tone.

"**_What? It's not like she's going to know its bullshit."_**

"_True, I guess."_

"**_Anyway, you should say that after your life flashed you were able to exam your memories and that's when you noticed her affection for you. Then you can branch out from there." _**Kyuubi explained in a sage like tone.

"_Sounds good. Thanks Kyuubi." _Naruto replied, feeling an immense amount of relief and joy at the demon's advice.

"_**Whatever. You might want to go now."**_

"Why?" Naruto thought aloud.

"**_Because you only have two minutes before you're late._**

Naruto looked at his clock which confirmed Kyuubi's claim. And with a cry of, "Oh shit!" Naruto ran as fast as could out of the apartment complex and when he hit the street he took to the roof tops with the sound of Kyuubi's laughter echoing in his head.

At the same time walking down the streets of Konoha was none other than the Sandimane Hokage. He was humming to himself as he took one of his walks around Konoha to see what was going on.

It was after talking to a merchant that he noticed a dark blur crossing the roof tops and coming his way. At first he thought it was an ANBU with urgent news due to the blurs speed. But as it got closer he could see a streak of yellow on top of it.

Just as it was passing he saw a familiar face with a not so familiar look.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi asked himself as he saw the blur go by. The sight of Naruto in such clothes got him thinking of his conversation with said blonde last night.

_FLASHBACK _

_Sarutobi could not help but sigh mentally at the sight before him. At the age of sixty-five the great Sandimane Hokage, the infamous 'Professor' of the shinobi world had seen many things in his life._

_But this was defiantly one of the strangest, second only to some of his old pupil's experiments._

_When Naruto had stolen the scroll from his mansion Sarutobi had been shocked, confused, and worried. Shocked that Naruto had stolen it and escaped (with the help of Oiroke no Jutsu, defeating him via nosebleed), confused because there should have been no way for him to know about it since it was a closely guarded village secret, and worried because that meant that someone had to have told him about it, which meant that someone would have wanted it for their own gain and place the blame on him._

_But who? Naruto wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but Sarutobi was sure he wouldn't have done it for a stranger. That meant it had to be someone he trusted. Which wile shortening the list of potential suspects, only served to trouble him more since the boy trusted few people in the world, namely Iruka and himself._

_While Sarutobi pondered who it was he was using his Tōmegane no Jutsu to search after sending practically all the jonin and chunin to look for him. After a fruitless search he decided to focus on Iruka since the man had a knack for finding him when he was in trouble._

_After a couple hours of searching Iruka had located him deep in the forest near an abandoned shack in a treeless clove. The lack of trees disturbed him a little, since there were holes in the ground that looked as though the trees just disappeared. And there was only one jutsu Sarutobi could think of that could do that. It was a frightening prospect because if Naruto had learned it then what else could he have learned?_

_His thoughts were cut short when he heard Iruka's gasp of surprise, only to let out one of his own when he saw Naruto. Seeing his new appearance he began to fear the Kyuubi might have taken over till Naruto grinned and told Iruka that Mizuki told him if he could steal and learn a jutsu on the scroll he could pass._

_Sarutobi was filled with a sudden anger at this revelation and called in an ANBU squad to deal with him when Mizuki himself appeared at the clearing. After an exchange of words that shocked Sarutobi and the ANBU Naruto dealt with Mizuki using the very jutsu he'd been dreading to see._

_After Mizuki was 'dealt' with he and the squad immediately ran with their best speed to the clearing and surrounded Naruto and Iruka. He looked at naruto with a blank look and asked, "Naruto, what happened to you?" Upon hearing the question Naruto gave a nervous chuckle and sheepishly scratched the back of his head while replying, "Uhhh… Could I tell you in private?"_

_Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, curious at his request but nodded his agreement. Naruto had a relieved look on his face as he let out the breath he was holding. After ordering an ANBU to retrieve the scroll they returned to the Hokage tower where he immediately ordered away Iruka and the ANBU. When they left he told Naruto to sit and returned to his desk holding his head in his hands as he could feel a headache approaching. He had the feeling that this was going to be a long night._

_When they returned to his office Naruto sat for a while looking nervous and fidgety. Slightly worried at his unusual display of behavior, he decided to cut to the chase._

"_Naruto?" Sarutobi asked with a neutral tone to hide his concern. _

"_What?" he responded, apparently snapping out of a daze and looking slightly confused and fearful._

"_I believe that you were going to explain?" He said referring to his changes._

_Naruto looked at him for a while before sighing in exasperation. "I know. I'm just trying to think of a way to tell you without getting executed."_

_This made Sarutobi's eyes widen in surprise. Recovering from his shock he said in the kindest tone he could muster with a gentle smile, "Naruto, what are you talking about? Execution seems a bit harsh don't you think?"_

_Naruto looked at him with a slightly depressed look. "Normally yes. But this isn't normal."_

_Sarutobi's concern grew at his cryptic response. "Naruto, whatever it is you can tell me."_

_He looked at him before sighing again. "Alright. While I was reading the scroll and practicing the jutsus I felt a burning in my stomach. After a while it became so bad that I passed out. When I awoke I was in this sewer-like place and I felt this powerful presence calling to me. When I arrived I found a giant gate held closed by a piece of paper that said goukin. Then a giant pair of crimson eyes appeared and this voice told me to come closer. So I did and this huge claw shot out between the bars and tried to cut me. Fortunately I was to far away for it to have hit me. The voice said that it was the Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of the Bijuu, most powerful demon ever, and a bunch of other ego boosting crap. Long story short I told him to give me some of his power since he's been living inside me and making my life a living hell. So he did. As it turned out I also absorbed some of his essence. That's why I look and act the way I do now."_

_When he finished Sarutobi was in shock. He'd not only spoke to kyuubi but absorbed some of its essence as well? Did that mean that Kyuubi had control? Did the seal break or loosen?_

_Almost as if he was reading his thoughts Naruto spoke. "Don't worry jiji-san. He dosen't have control and the seal's fine." Naruto finished with a grin._

_At his look Sarutobi relaxed some. Though it looked like he wasn't saying everything, he decided not to push it. "Very well Naruto. I'll take your word for it." At this Naruto's eyes lit up and he tried to say thank you but was cut off._

"_But what are you going to do about your appearance?"_

_Naruto frowned for a moment. Then he grinned and said, "Not a damn thing. I'm not going to hide it. I'll just say I activated a dormant kekkei genkai or something."_

_Although he was a little dubious about it, Saurtobi didn't say anything. Since no one knew about his heritage his generation might buy it. He'd have to explain to the older generation of ninja though. He could already feel the headache._

"_Alright Naruto. If that 's all you can leave." Naruto looked like he wanted to say something but just stood up and left._

_As the door closed Sarutobi got the feeling that he missed something important._

Authors notes: What's up? Sorry that this chapter wasn't very interesting. But the next one will be.

Translations:

Fugo: Help

Kangei: Welcome


	6. Author's Note

This isn't a chapter update.

Actually I've had a serious writer's block that doesn't seem to want to go away amongst other things.

So I've decided to recruit a co-author.

If you're interested email me.

I'll give it a week.

I'll email you if I'm interested.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto than you're not that bright.

**Chapter 6**

Naruto stood in front of the door to the classroom, debating what to do about his appearance.

"_Should I use a henge? It would be the smartest choice considering the attention I'm sure I'll get." _

The bell rang signifying the start of class. _"Shit, I'm late. Damn Kakashi-sensei and his negative influence." _

He then reached for the door as he made a decision.

Iruka was sitting at his desk, thinking about the class that he spent years teaching. This was always the hardest part of his job, watching them go.

He surveyed the class as they talked excitedly amongst themselves. He knew only nine of them would become genin. And he had a pretty good idea who it would be.

He spotted Uchiha Sasuke sitting at the far right end of the middle section brooding and thinking about something as per usual.

Behind him were Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino screeching like banshees about who was better for Sasuke. On the opposite side of the room he could see Aburame Shino sitting by himself.

In the middle of the room was Inzuka Kiba grinning and talking to his dog Akamaru who was perched on his head. Near the back he could see Nara Shikamaru who appeared half awake and Akimichi Chouji who was eating a bag of chips.

And in the very back he could see Hyuuga Hinata, who had her head bowed with a forlorn look on her face.

As he continued looking he realized he couldn't find Naruto.

"_Geez, Naruto. You've been looking forward to this moment for years and your not even here on time!"_

Just then the door was flung open as none other than the object of Iruka's ire walked in.

As Iruka prepared to chew him out he realized something. Naruto looked the same as he did the day before.

He was the same height, had the same look, same clothes and everything.

This confused him, but before he could ponder the change Naruto looked at him and gave a sheepish grin and said, "Sorry I'm late sensei."

Iruka blinked and sighed. As much as he wanted to ask it was apparently he'd have to wait.

"Whatever Naruto, just take a seat."

He nodded and looked around for a seat. As he looked around though he had to force back the urge to cry.

For sitting before him were his friends, alive and well.

"_It's a dream come true." _Naruto thought to himself.

His jubilance was cut short though as he realized that pretty much everyone was staring at him and whispering to each other.

With a nervous chuckle he started walking and looking for an available seat. As his gaze traveled upward he locked eyes with someone who made his heart stop and his breath catch.

Sitting as far back as possible was Hyuuga Hinata, who the moment Naruto looked at immediately blushed and averted her eyes while poking her index fingers.

As soon as he saw her he felt a constricting feeling in his heart. He could feel tears threatening to spill from his eyes as his feelings and memories threatened to overwhelm him.

He began to feel dizzy so he took the nearest seat, which happened to be by Sasuke and Sakura. Once more a barrage of memories and feelings tore through him.

He folded his arms and laid his head down to conceal the sign's of the internal struggle taking place. Naruto ignored everything around him until he heard the sound of slow marching.

As soon as he felt the majority of the class leave he shot out the door and ran to a place where he could hide and sort the mess that was his mind.

Hinata was worried about Naruto. She had been since yesterday when he'd failed the exam.

She remembered the look on his face as he sat on the academy swing, watching the others as they were congratulated or comforted by their parents. She'd wanted to go and comfort him, to tell him it was alright and that he tried his best.

But she couldn't work up the courage. So she left him sitting there, and left while berating herself for being a coward.

Then today she woke up and did her daily routine to prepare for her last day at the academy. While on her way out she came across her father who she gave a soft sayanora.

He didn't even look at her.

Once she got there she took her usual seat in the back of the class and thought of Naruto. She thought of how she wouldn't see him for a while, possibly never.

Even as these thoughts went through her mind, none other than the object of her affections appeared.

Hinata was initially surprised, but was quickly over come with joy at the sight of the forehead protector on his head.

Her mood started declining as she noticed something unusual about him. He didn't look any different. And yet she could feel _something_ was wrong with him.

She was about to activate her Byakagun when he looked her in the eyes. Her suspicions temporarily forgotten she averted her eyes and tapped her fingers out of habit.

When she looked back up at him she noticed that he was sitting next to Sakura with his head down.

She felt a small pang in her heart as she watched him sit there with his face buried in his arms while his body lightly shook.

She wanted to activate her Byakagun but couldn't without drawing attention. She was surprised when Iruka called out his name and he didn't give any form of acknowledgment.

She was especially worried when he didn't react when Iruka said Sasuke and Sakura were on his team.

At this point Hinata was more than just worried. She was scared. Something was very wrong with Naruto, she just couldn't figure out what.

She was so focused on him she almost missed her name being called.

She looked up as Iruka called the names of her teammates, Aburame Shino and Inzuka Kiba and her sensei Yuuhi Kurenai. As soon as he moved on

When he finished Iruka congratulated the class and wished them good luck. "You all have a one hour recess, then report back here. Your senseis should be waiting for you."

When the majority of the class had left Naruto took off like a bat out hell. He ran off so quick Hinata barely had a chance to blink.

Recovering from her shock she ran out to look for him. After a while of futile searching she was sitting on a bench debating on using her Byakagun when she saw him on the other side of the yard, looking about nervously.

"_Naruto-kun looks like he's afraid of something." _Hinata thought to herself.

Just then the bell rang and the students started walking back to the classroom with the exception of Naruto, who appeared to be waiting for the others to go and Hinata, who was hiding behind a nearby wall and peeking around the corner.

When she saw him going in Hinata decided to activate her Byakagun while masking her presence as best she could.

She made the appropriate seals and whispered "Byakagun…" What she saw almost made her loose her focus and gasp.

For standing where Naruto should have been was another boy. Man actually.

He looked older and was four or five inches taller. He had the same color hair only it was longer and spikier. His teeth and nails were longer and sharper. His whisker marks were darker and thicker while his eyes were purplish blue with vertical slits for pupils. He even had different clothes which showed well toned arms and chest.

He was quite handsome actually and normally would have made Hinata swoon if not for one very important fact.

That wasn't Naruto. That was somebody who although resembled him, clearly wasn't the boy of her dreams.

Hinata was still trying to process this when she noticed that the Naruto look a like was looking around.

Hinata was beginning to sweat. _"He must have sensed me when I activated my Byakagun!"_

He looked around some more before closing his eyes and lifting his face up. She watched as he channeled chakra to his ears and nose. Hinata began to panic.

"_He's going to find me! What do I do?!" _ She stayed perfectly still and tried to calm her erratic heart beat, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't notice her.

He stayed that way for a minute before opening his eyes and lowering his face. He grinned and started walking inside.

Once he was gone Hinata deactivated her Byakagun and collapsed on the ground.

Hinata closed her eyes and tried to understand what she'd seen.

"Who was that… person?" She whispered quietly to herself. She was experiencing a mixture of shock and fear.

"_Who is he? Where's Naruto-kun and why is he impersonating him?"_

Hinata's eyes widened as she remembered something that Iruka-senesi had said during his lecture on the henge no jutsu.

"_Sensei said that sometimes an enemy ninja will get rid of a person and pose as them to act as spies or assassins." _A cold shiver went down her spine. _"Is that what happened to Naruto-kun? Was he captured or… killed by this man so he could pose as him?!"_

Hinata felt a wave of emotions over taking her, mainly fear, confusion, and helplessness.

Then she felt something else. Something that started at the pit of her stomach, slowly inched its way up, and taking predominance over all other emotions.

At first Hinata couldn't identify this new emotion. Then a memory surfaced. A memory of when she was told her mother had died.

When she had been told she was overcome by grief and sorrow. Her mother, the one person in the world who understood her, who cared for her, who didn't call her a disgrace or failure was gone.

Soon her grief and anguish turned to something else. Anger. Anger at the doctors who couldn't save her. Anger at her father who had caused her death. Anger at her new born sister for killing her. Anger at the kami's for taking her away. Then her anger turned to hate.

Hate for her clan who went about like nothing was wrong. Hate for the world who seemed to mock her pain. Even hate for her mother for leaving her alone.

But most of all, Hinata hated herself for not being able to save her mother. She stayed this way for weeks before accepting that there was nothing anyone could do.

Hinata realized that her mother wouldn't have wanted this. She would have wanted Hinata to be happy.

So Hinata made a vow. She wouldn't be angry or hateful anymore. Instead she'd train and become strong to make her mother proud.

Well she broke that vow.

Hinata could feel it. Her anger at the bastard who was impersonating her Naruto.

"_I'll find out who you are you bastard." _She slowly stood up. _"I'll make you tell me what you did with Naruto-kun." _She raised her head to reveal normally warm and gentle eyes filled with a cold reptilian hatred.

"_And I'll make you suffer…"_

Authors Notes: What's up boys and girls? Yeah, I'm alive though not quite kicking. I just wish to apologize for the extremely long delay in this. I'd like to thank those who reviewed for your support in my time of difficulty.

Anyway I should be able to post once a month or so. If you all have any ideas or comments I'd be happy to read'em.

And just to answer the question about Hinata being a little ooc in this chapter, I based that off a personal experience.

Till next time.

The Abstract Concept


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